Not everyone is suited to being a gun slingin’ salesperson, as it’s a demanding role needing the right personality and skills. So where does your personality and skill set lie? Are you more of the ‘the good’, ‘the bad’ or ‘the ugly’?

The good

As a ‘good’ salesperson you won’t suddenly sprout wings and be angelic, but you will consider the needs of your customers and find them a solution that fits their needs perfectly. You are a good listener, warm, welcoming and reluctant to focus on an immediate response. By being a ‘good’ salesperson you enjoy building lasting relationship and look to gain repeat business, even at the cost of short-term wins. You are predictable, consistent but unwilling to venture into unchartered territories. As a ‘good’ salesperson you take the threat of being undermined personally and take rejection to heart.

The bad

Being a bad salesperson doesn’t mean that you double up as a Michael Jackson impersonator. Instead, you are constantly on the prowl for new selling opportunities. Generally pushy and confident but you usually end up with a sale, even if the customer may not be the best fit for your product. As a ‘bad’ salesperson you are an achiever, hard worker, you’re motivated by money and don’t believe in luck. You are a short-term winner, always looking to make a catch and will not wait too long before moving on to the next opportunity if success isn’t quick. As a ‘bad’ salesperson you have a renewed energy on a daily basis and others admire your enthusiasm.

The ugly

Firstly I would like to mention that I don’t mean you are a hideous creature of a person who looks like Sloth from The Goonies on a bad day. What I actually mean is that, as an ‘ugly’ salesperson, you are someone who manages to get the deal over the line no matter how it’s done. There is no correct process in place, timescales differ dramatically between sales and you are willing to follow up on any lead in the hope it converts into a sale. Nothing fazes you, you’re hungry and your persistence is incredible. As an ‘ugly’ salesperson you are someone who loves to ‘spray and pray’ and you don’t worry about whether it’s a one-off sale or repeat business, so long as your monthly target is met.

Showdown

As you can see, every type of salesperson has their own strengths and weaknesses. To build a successful sales team you need a mixture of all three, and you need to deploy them wisely too; the ‘good’ will help you retain business; the ‘bad’ will get you sales volume; the ‘ugly’ are willing to go the extra mile no matter what.

The key to making your sales team a success is to give your gunslingers the ammunition they need to work in a way that they are comfortable with. A happy, well-equipped salesperson with the right tools is a successful salesperson.

I’d love to hear which salesperson you think you are, so please feel free to comment below.

Related Thoughts

Written By - Chris Bourne

I'm the Marketing Manager here at sales-i and being in marketing I obviously love crayons and of course I have a toy Chewbacca on my desk (fully equipped with the 'Maaaaaarh' noise!
I have worked in the technology industry for over 7 years and have a good grasp on what's happening in the industry. I also enjoy* the technical side of software development.
*The term 'enjoy' relates to the very few occasions where the techy side actually goes to plan, otherwise replace with the term 'gets frustrated'.

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